THE WAR IN EUROPE.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2296, 15 September 1870, Page 2

THE WAR IN EUROPE.

THE DECLARATION OF AVAR. Paris, July 15. The die is cast, and war declared. Today the Senate met, and the’Minister of Foreign Affairs road aloud a declaration, the official copy of which I enclose in the original French, time being wanting to give you a complete translation. It narrates with great perspicuity and precision the different stages of the affair since its origin. This summary account is in almost every respect similar to that I have given you in the early part of this letter. It tends, as you will observe, to throw upon the King of Prussia himself the responsibility of the rupture. 1 transcribe the last paragraphs of the declaration : —“ I requested the King,” wrote M. Benedetti on the 13th July, at midnight, “ to allow me to inform you in his name that if the Prince of Hohenzollern should resume his design, His Majesty would interpose his authority and forbid it. The King pos tively declined allowing me to make such a declaration. 1 strongly insisted, but was unable to modify the dispositions of his Majesty. The King put an end to our interview by saying that ho neither ould nor would make such an engagement, and that he was bound, with respect to this contingency, as to all others, to regulate his conduct by circumstances 1 . Our surprise was great on hearing yesterday that the King of Prussia had given notice by an aide-de-camp to our ambassador that he should not receive him any more ; and that, in order to give an unequivocal character to his refusal, his Government had notified it officially to the different courts of Europe. (Prolonged murmurs.) “Under such circumstances, to seek further to conciliate matters would have been forgetfulness of our own dignity and sheer imprudence. We, therefore, yesterday called in our x’eserves, and, with your assistance, we arc about to take the necessary stops to safeguard tha in tere t, the security, and honor of France.” (“Bravo, bravo!”) This declaration was received by loud and continued cheering, while enthusiastic shouts of “ A r ive la

Franco!" “Vive I'Fmpereur !’’ were uttered by the senators themselves and by tbe visitors In tba galleries. The President then rose. Gentlemen Senators, he said, we hare now only, through the help of God and our own courage, confidently to look forward to the success of our cause. At the same hour the Prime Minister, M. Ollivier, read to the Legislative Assembly a similar declaration, which he determined by requesting, in the name of the M inister of War, an urgent vote of supplies both of men and money. The vote was immediately taken by sitting and standing. Tho whole Assembly, with the exception of the left, rose with enthusiastic shouts of “ Vive la France! Vive I’Empereur! ” THE EFFECTS OF THE WAR. {From- the Times, July 16.) The aim of France in this deplorable war is well known. She claims the left bank of the Rhine. On the other hand, Prussia has often protested that if she was ever driven to take the field against France, she would not lay down her sword ancient German Provinces of Alsace and Lorraine were restored to the Fatherland. We know, therefore, the primary cause and real aim of the war. The champions in tho lists arc only two, and the prize lies within-each other's territory. Could their differences be settled by arbitration, or the contest be decided by one great battle, no other country in Europe need be affected by tho change. This amounts to saying that no State in Europe need join in the fray, or. in other words, that the war can be localised. And yet wbat probabilities are there of a long-con- | tinned observance of the laws of neutrality ? 1 Belgium and Holland, the countries most immediately exposed to the trampling of tho contending hosts, have lost no time in de daring that they will stand on their independent rights and the inviolability of their territory. I’ut there is hardly a precedent of a war being waged on the Rhine without the immediate occupation of those fertile p’ains ; and the unprincip'ed attempt to involve the King of tho Belgians in the Hobenzollern quarrel opens no very cheering prospect before thoso who rely on the sacredness of internatio al treaties as a safeguard to Flanders or Luxembourg. On the other hand, Austria, under tho influence of Von Buest, hastens to. declare that she will keep aloof from the strife so.long as two combatants alono are in the field, but “not if a third power takes part in the struggle " —an intimation which seems mainly aimed at Dcnmai’k or Italy, should those States look upon tho concentration of French and German forces on the Rhine as a favoraWU opportunity either f r an inroad into Schleswig or an atcempt upon Petor’s patrimony. Till something decidve has been achieved on the Rhine, nothing is more likely than that there may be peace on the Danube, on the Tib-r, and the Elbe. It is only when exhaustion sots in on either side that the rancours, jealousies, and ambitions of bystanders will have full play. Unless powerfully awed by Russia, it is difficult to imagine that Austria will long remain neutral in a struggle, the main object of which is “Vengeance for Sadowa;" nor is it very certain that all the other sufferers from that victory—Hanover, Hesse, Frankfort, Saxony, Bavaria, Wurtemburg—will pot pise in full cry against Prussia the moment she exhibits any signs of faintness in her death grapple with her chief antagonist. Franco has doubtles* reckoned on all this chapter of accidents, and she will exert herself to the utmost to insure a first advantage. But many will feel inclined to hack German steadfastness against French impetuosity, and will have little hesitation in looking upon another .Jena pnjy as the natural forerunner of another Leipsio. Few men will be so ingenuous as to imagine that the conscientiousness of a righteous cause will be of much avail against the preponderance of big battalions. Yet there can be no doubt as to tho side on which the world’s sympathies will be enlisted, and, whatever may on former occasions have been the oifenoes of Prussia, she will in this instance have on her sido all that moral support which is seldom denied to those who take up arms in self-defence. It is otherwise with France, whom nothing short of a long victorious career will rehabilitate in European opinion. It is still difficult to conceive what infatuation can have committed the Emperor Napoleon to a course which is as impolitic as it is

crfnrinal, ; 4 We--‘cannot admit that foreign war waa by the necessity of guarding against disturbance at home. The Plebiscite had re-established Imperial omnipotence in France. In Emilie Ollivicr Napoleon 111. has found as passive and as serviceable an instrument as in the more brilliant and genial Rouher. Legal opposition showed utter incapacity for organisation, and ultrademocracy was dying of its own rage. What better foundation to his throne could the Emperor wish for than his eight millions of peasant votes ? Or how could France lie more helplessly at his discretion ? It was, it seems, fated that the ideas of the first empire should from beginning to end be the bane of the second. The Emperor himself, however, had drawn the proper line of distinct! n that was to separate tne two epochs. The empire of the 2nd of December was to be peace, and Napoleon 111. had good reason to doubt the popularity even of his successful and not wholly unrighteous wars. But the Prussian war now opening, will, when the first feverish enthusiasm abates, appear indefensible even to the most selfish and vainglorious patriotism. It is important that the Emperor should act upon his favorite maxim—“ Strike soon, and strike ‘hard.’” If the expenditure and hardships of the campaign be prolonged, the French people and the French army itself will find that even the Rhine may bo bought too dear. Wop to the Emperor if the ardour of his troops has time to abate—if there is anything like a check in the enterprise—still worse, a re» pulse. There is no possible return for him, except as a conqueror, and a conqueror cm the scale to which Austerlitz and Wagram accustomed his uncle’s s ibjects. But it is very questionable whether one So'ferino will dispose of Prussia as easily as it did of Austria ; and even were Prussia utterly overcome, forces may be found drawn up behind her in second line.

THE FIGHTING POWER OP FRANCE AND PRUSSIA. Tha following, which we take from the Argils of September 2, gives additional information on the above point:— For all purposes of offence and defence, the various States of Northern Germany— Prussia, Bavaria, Wurtemberg, and Baden—constitute one nation ; and the whole of the forces they can raise are placed under the command of the King of Prussia. The Federal Constitution fixes the peace footing of the army at 300,000 men, or 1 per cent, of the population. Its composition is as follows :—lnfantry, 212,171 ; cavalry, 53,412 ; artillery, 31,493 ; pioneers, 6559 ; train, 2951 ; not otherwise enumerated, 3405 ; and 73,313 horses. The reserve and the land* wehr may be computed at 600,000, thug bringing tho total force up to 900,000. Bu| this figure does not include th e Ersatz-Be* serve, which comprehends the flower of the Prussian youth. The Bavarian army numbers 72,000 combatants and 5000 non-com-batants, a reserve of 25,000, and a landwehr of 60,000 men. Wurtemberg has 12,000 men upon a peace, and about 26,000 on a war footing. Baden could put 8000 men in tie field at once, v.ith a reserve of 18,000 to fall back upon. The late telegrams informed us that Hesse ha I made common cause with Prussia, which would add 11,000 on to the military strength < f the North-German Federation; so that, with all the reserv 8 called up, Prussia could bring upwards 1,100,000 men into the field. The Prussian navy, at the end of Jure, 1860, consisted of six first-class ironchu 8, nine ironclad frigates and two gunboats, tv o paddle steamers, and three corvettes. Bcsid- s these th-re are some sailing vessels, including three frigates. The Largest ships are the Konig Wilhelm, 5938 tons, 1150 horse-pom r carring 23 rifled 96-pounders ; the Prii z Fredorich Karl, 4044 tons, 250 horse-power; the Krcnprinz, about the same size, cams 14 steel breechloading gups of 7 tons and two pivot gups. The active army £of France, numbers 448,711 men, who are thus distributed In Franco, 378,852; in Algeria, 64,531; in Italy, 5323. By the law of thelst February, 1868, which created a Garde Nation-do Mobile, every Frenchman between the ages of 20 and 25, who is not comprised in the emtingeuts of the active aim ’, is liable to serve in this garde, to which is assigned the duty of garrisoning the French fortresses and providing for the domestic defences in time of war. The availing strength of this body is 381,723 men. Besides these, there is a preserve of 198,548; so that the total figure of the French army reaches 1,028,983 men. Of the 443,711 men spoken of above as constituting the active army, 114,431 were on furlough. The French nav3 r , at the end of last year consisted of 62 ironclads, 20 being of th® fi'st clas-, and 27 of them floating batteries, and? coast-guard ve se.ls; 264screwsteamers t of which 30 are ships of the line, 3 paddlesteamers, and 113 sailing vessels. The most romaikable of the ironclads are the Magenta, Solferino, Courouvc, Normandie, Invincible, and tbe cupola ship Taurean. The Magenta and S dferuio are twin ships—two deckers j their armament consists of rifled breechloading guns of a s : ze corresponding to the Arm-trong 100 pounder. Their distinguishing feature is that they have a ram or spur which projects unler water, it is of steel, and of great size and weight. The Taurean is a steam ram of prculiar cons!motion, of a very light draught, and rising only a few feet above water. Her prow terminates in a point, ami this is armed with a massive bronze cone. He has two screws, and carries but a single gun which weighs twenty tons, but she has but one deck, and that is plated with iron from one end to the other, Tliq largest ironglad in the French navy is the R chnmbeau, 5090 tons, 14 guns of largo calibre ; a ram built for the United States, and purchased by the French Government for L 400,000.